Diane Carlson Evans, RN
Founder and Chair, Vietnam Women's Memorial
Project, Inc.
Washington, D.C.
In support of H.R. 3293 106th Congress
To authorize the placement within the site
of the Vietnam
Veterans memorial a plaque to honor those
Vietnam veterans who
died after their service in the Vietnam war,
but as a direct result of
that service.
Once again there is a debate raising questions
regarding how and why we commemorate war veterans. Efforts are
underway in Congress to authorize the addition of a commemorative
plaque on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honoring
those Vietnam veterans who died as a result of the Vietnam war
but who are not eligible to have their names placed on the "Wall".
Some festering critical views of adding anything to the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial persist. Critics recently have urged Congress
to vote against "tinkering" with the existing Memorial,
and if a plaque is authorized and dedicated that there be a guarantee
for "no more"
additions or alterations to the site.
When is a memorial complete? The debate about
adding another
element to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial brings
back agonizing
memories. In 1984, I founded the Vietnam Women's
Memorial Project and led the nine year effort to convince the
adversaries that women's service and sacrifice be portrayed in
a bronze monument and added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
in Washington D.C. Fierce opposition emerged from around the
country. Influential individuals opposed to this proposal hindered
the mandatory approval process. Federal regulatory agencies voted
"no" until Congress passed a law authorizing a site
and a memorial at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Critics feared
that women and veterans would destroy the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
by adding "tacky" elements to it. An editorial warned
that any further addition to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial "would
be an act of graffiti." Others said it was misguided"
and a "bad idea," that an additional element could
only disrupt the fragile balance with the Wall. Some opponents
to the addition of a statue honoring women claimed ownership
of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They sought to deny women a
voice at the memorial and the power to shape--or reshape--the
public memory.
Whose history of the war and its participants
do we remember and
honor? The opposition to the concept of the Vietnam
Women's Memorial, and now the addition of a plaque, demands consideration
about the purpose of war memorials. Who ultimately shapes the
public memory of war and our veterans?
The Vietnam Women's Memorial, the statue of
the Three Servicemen nearby, and the "Wall" each serve
a unique and different purpose for the men and women who it represents
than it does for other visitors. For veterans, it is a place
to remember and to heal. For the public at large the statue portraying
women provides a glimpse into a historical experience too often
eclipsed from the public memory of war. As thousands of these
visitors visit the memorial perhaps the language on a plaque
dedicated to the memory of post war deaths will contribute to
the understanding of the enormous toll war exacts. People do
not only die on the battlefield, they may die years later from
chemical poisoning, lingering infections, emotional wounds, and
complications of tropical diseases. Perhaps a plaque will contribute
to the healing of those loved ones left behind. When this generation
is gone, and the need for healing noted only in history books,
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial plaque will instruct, inform, and
inspire every visitor to work for peace.
In the case of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
it is good that Congress "tinkers" with its purpose
and listens to the people of America, especially its veterans
and seeks to help shape the public memory of war. Single individuals
do not own the Memorial no do they have the right to decide what
is in its best interest. The efforts of Congress, in this case,
can shed light on the aftermath, the debris of war and bring
the human tragedy more visibly into the public eye.
We support the passage of H.R. 3293, S. 1921
and that the plaque's design and placement be shepherded through
the approval process by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
With the dedication of a plaque at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
as with the dedication of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, perhaps
we will learn that it should be the men and women who serve in
war and the families who lose the most--their loved ones--who
ultimately shape the public memory of war.
